92 Wine Enthusiast

"A charming Chardonnay, not the biggest, baddest around, but crisp and linear and elegant. Shows saline, umami-infused lime, Meyer lemon and creme brulee flavors, with zesty acidity. Finishes balanced and complex. -S.H." 92 points Wine Enthusiast

VINEYARD:
"Bien Nacido Vineyards has, over the years, become an iconic American vineyard. Located in the Santa Maria Valley, this historic vineyard has a colorful and storied past. Qupé's involvement with Bien Nacido dates back to 1986 when 7 acres of riesling were grafted over to syrah exclusively for Qupé. The first crop off of those vines in the X Block was 1987. Over the years Qupé has contracted for more and more fruit from Bien Nacido including more syrah, chardonnay, viognier and roussanne. Most of the acreage are "custom blocks" planted exclusively for Qupé and farmed to our specifications. The majority of the grapes that Qupé gets from Bien Nacido are grown organically or biodynamically. Qupé currently has 62 acres under contract at Bien Nacido." -Winery

WINERY:
"Qupé (pronounced kyoo-pay') is the Chumash Indian word for California poppy. The Chumash are native to California's Central Coast and Channel Islands, the California poppy is our state flower. Bob Lindquist added the accent to the word Qupé and gave it the pronunciation."

"Robert Neil 'Bob' Lindquist was born in the Midwest and moved to Southern California with his family in 1964 when Bob was 11 years old. In the early '70's while Bob was in college at UC Irvine he got his first taste of good wine and he was instantly hooked. Bob started hanging out at Hi-Time Cellars, a great wine shop in Bob's hometown of Costa Mesa, asking a lot of questions and buying whatever wines he could afford…and in 1975 Bob moved from SoCal with his young family to the North Central Coast to pursue a career in the wine business."

"In 1982, while still working at Zaca Mesa, Bob started Qupé by buying barrels and grapes and traded his time to use Zaca Mesa's facility. In that first vintage he made 900 cases of chardonnay, syrah and a dry rosé of pinot noir. After the 1983 harvest Bob left Zaca Mesa and went off on his own, continuing to rent space in other wineries to make the Qupé wines. As the winery's production grew, Bob decided to focus on syrah and other varietals of the Rhone, while continuing to make chardonnay, which always helped pay the bills."

"In 2002 Bob and Louisa purchased an 80 acre ranch in the Edna Valley near San Luis Obispo, and the following year they moved to SLO with their then 2 year old son Theo. In 2005 they planted 40 acres at what is now called the Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, where they are starting the next chapter of their life." -Winery

This also was rated 88 points by Antonio Galloni of the Wine Advocate.